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Erik ten Hag has told Matthijs de Ligt that he plans to play him alongside Lisandro Martinez for Manchester United, according to reports.
United are in the market for at least one new centre-back in the summer transfer window and the club have already held talks with Bayern over a deal for De Ligt.
It’s understood that the 24-year-old is open to joining United and linking up with Ten Hag having worked with him for just over a season at Ajax.
According to the Sunday Mirror, Ten Hag has already spoken to De Ligt about a potential move to United and has outlined his plans for the upcoming Premier League campaign.
The report claims that Ten Hag has informed De Ligt that he sees him as Martinez’s centre-back partner at the heart of United’s defence and plans to play a 4-3-3 formation.
Separately, the newspaper reports that Ten Hag’s plans put Harry Maguire further down the pecking order at United and the club would be open to selling the 31-year-old, who was signed in an £80 million deal from Leicester City in 2019.
United are now said to be ‘confident’ of reaching an agreement with Bayern over a fee for De Ligt, who is currently with the Netherlands squad preparing for their Euro 2024 semi final against England on Wednesday evening.
Bayern are holding out for a €50m (£42m) fee for De Ligt, who started just 16 games in the Bundesliga last season.
When asked about his future at Bayern last month, De Ligt said: ‘I’ve already said this is not the time for me to think about it.
‘We’re playing at the Euros now and that’s very important for me and the national team. That’s why I can’t say now what I think about this situation.
‘But what I can say is that I’ve now played my second season at Bayern – I’m very happy. For now I’m focused on the Euros and then we’ll see what happens.’
Speaking about De Ligt during their time together at Ajax in 2019, Ten Hag said: ‘I don’t know if De Ligt has shown 60-80 per cent of his potential.
‘But we are talking about one of the best defenders in Europe and I have no doubt that he will soon be number one in this position.’
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